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Tokyo Massage Shop Owner Re-Arrested for Operating Sex Services in Banned Zone in Case of 12-Year-Old Thai Girl

Police describe the investigation as a human trafficking case with suspected broker involvement.

Overview

  • Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Nov. 25 re-arrested Masayuki Hosono, 51, on suspicion of violating the Entertainment Business Law by offering sexual services in Yushima, a prohibited area.
  • The alleged offense centers on the Relax Time shop in Bunkyo Ward, where police say a female employee in her 30s was made to provide sexual services on Nov. 4.
  • Hosono was first arrested on Nov. 4 on suspicion of violating labor standards laws after a Thai girl, then 12, was made to work at the shop during June and July.
  • According to police, the child had been left at the store by her mother, and authorities have protected her as a trafficking victim.
  • Asahi reports Hosono admitted knowing the operation was illegal, and investigators estimate the business began around October 2023 and took in about 15 million yen by this month.